Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

After glancing at her back, Rivera fixed her gaze on the path leading to the artificial maze.

"You all come with me!"

"yes!"

The battle is not over yet.

*

Ais was heartbroken.

Clouds drifted across the sky, and she stood alone, bathed in moonlight, her heart heavy with sorrow.

The things she tried to believe in indeed parted ways with her.

The "boy" that Ais tried to believe in still turned her fears into reality.

This made her extremely sad.

"...That dragon girl (Vivel) is still alive."

The location is in the northwest of Daedalus Road.

Ais murmured to herself in the seemingly deserted back alley.

The word "Dragon Girl (Vivel)" conveyed the "shaking" to her through the swaying of the air.

Under the still moonlight, Ais stood in the middle of the road, quietly gazing at the space before her.

"come out……"

She told the other party.

Before long, the previously empty space began to sway.

Then, a boy removed his invisibility cloak (a thin veil) and appeared in the moonlight.

The soft light illuminated her white hair, which shone like fresh snow. Her black shirt and pure steel-gray armor emitted a faint sheen, piercing through Ais's eyes.

(Bell...)

White hair and red eyes.

Facing the boy who stood motionless in the middle of the road, Ais murmured in her heart with a bittersweet feeling, as if calling out the name of a lover.

Then, she looked at the "monster" nestled beside the boy—"Vivel"—and her golden eyes lowered.

"I've been wondering... why you asked me that kind of question."

Ais, who had been held back by the masked adventurer, had long since resumed following Bell.

Then she sensed the presence of the "invisible" boy, cleverly followed him without letting him notice, and witnessed a sight she could not believe.

She saw the boy and the fox-girl embracing "Vivel" tightly.

The "human" and the "monster" even had tears in their eyes as they shared their joy.

Upon seeing that scene, witnessing the monster's tearful yet smiling profile, Ais froze on the spot, unable to appear before the boy before.

Because the reality that Ais had been desperately trying to ignore for the past five days was now right in front of her.

What if monsters could smile like humans...?

If we had worries just like people...

If only I could cry like people...

If, like humans, one possessed "reason" within...

The true meaning of the adolescent problem that has long puzzled Ais is now laid bare before her.

"Oh, I see..."

The dragon girl that the boy was willing to confront Ais and the others to protect was not dead at all.

The origin of this incident, and the "main cause" that led Ais and Bell down different paths, still exists today.

Ais, her gaze fixed on the ground, slowly raised her face.

The dragon girl, who was holding hands with the boy and was stiff all over, trembled the moment she met Ais's gaze.

Ais's face was reflected in her amber eyes, which held a hint of rationality.

It reflects the image of the "Sword Maiden," whose emotions have been stifled and whose gaze is fixed upon her with cold and dark eyes.

"Miss Ais!! This girl...!"

Even with a livid face, Bell stood up to shield the Dragon Girl from Ais's gaze, trying to plead his case...

"My answer..."

Ais told him sharply before he could finish speaking.

"It won't change."

Then, she placed her hand on the hilt of the Sword of Despair.

"If a monster makes anyone cry—I will kill the monster."

Faced with the Sword Maiden's reply—a drawn sword—the boy was truly frozen this time.

Ais desperately suppressed the grief welling up in her chest and took a step forward in her boots.

"Wait...please wait a minute, Miss Ais!? This girl wouldn't do anything bad, wouldn't hurt anyone! She would never do such a thing!! She...Winnie is different from a monster!!"

Moreover, she no longer had the energy to listen to such jokes.

"If that dragon girl loses control again, will you still say the same thing?"

"────"

"I can't do it."

The boy remained silent.

The dragon girl trembled, and the red stone on her garnet-like forehead shone with dazzling light.

As Ais felt her face grow cold and indifferent, she pointed her unyielding sword of words at them.

The boy probably doesn't understand what made Ais so cold, and probably doesn't want to understand.

Only one thing is clear—the negotiations have long since broken down.

She presented him with the undeniable fact that she and the boy had become enemies.

"Ugh, ah..."

Please move aside.

As Ais approached the pale-faced, groaning boy, she had no choice but to make the same plea.

But at the same time, she already knew that her wish would not come true.

This is because—the boy had already given the answer.

On that day, the "Fool" who stood in front of Ais and the others could never have made such a twisted decision. It was as if Ais and Bell had already given their irreversible answer, like looking in a mirror.

As the boy reached out and grasped the hilt of the knife, pulling out the black dagger, Ais sadly narrowed her eyes.

“!…”

The dragon girl murmured something in a hoarse voice.

"..."

Ais put on a cold and transparent mask.

"……Why."

Bell's lips trembled uncontrollably.

"……Why!"

Ais kicked the ground with all her might and ran toward the boy who was dominated by chaotic emotions.

"—Damn it!!"

A girl and a boy, their voices trembling with sorrow amidst the clash of blades.

Gaiden: Sword Oratoria 10 Interlude - Where Did the Conspiracy Lead?

"Brother Koss, the attack from the man-made maze has stopped!"

"Okay, everyone, please prepare your responses now!"

The voices of the group members echoed through the vast stone passageway.

This is the northwest side of the "Daedalus Road" underground passage. The Loki Familia, whose troops were arrayed here, saw that the man-eating plants were no longer escaping, and their morale improved considerably.

"Miss Rivera and the others must have succeeded...! This time it'll work!"

Kos, the dog-man who was stationed here with his fellow members, guessed that the enemy's secret base was in chaos. The elven forces unexpectedly and boldly invaded the man-made labyrinth, wreaking havoc inside, leaving the enemy with neither soldiers nor even any extra monsters to deal with Kos and his companions. Behind this "door," the northwest side of the labyrinth must have become a ghost town.

Koss and his companions were forced to temporarily retreat from the "door" due to the monsters' fierce attack, but given the current situation, it shouldn't be a problem to retake the area around the passage.

(Is there no longer any point in suppressing the northwest side? Perhaps we should move to the southeast side... But the whereabouts of the "Armed Monster" are still unknown, and I cannot arbitrarily disrupt the commander's personnel deployment...)

Koss, who had just taken over as commander, fell into deep thought.

Just as he was about to send a messenger to Finn at his headquarters to report and request instructions...

"Hello, members of the Loki Familia."

"!"

Just then, a male god appeared in the secret passage.

"You are... the god Hermes!?"

The other person was wearing a feathered travel hat and light traveler's attire.

Koss was greatly surprised to see Hermes walking over so confidently.

The fact that the other side had no guards and acted so carelessly was utterly perplexing. To be honest, it was already quite unnatural for a god to be alone on such a battlefield.

Although the factions have formed an alliance, no one is more suspicious than the Hermes Familia. Moreover, according to Finn, Hermes and his group are on the side of the Hestia Familia, and are likely enemies in this battle centered on the Labyrinth City.

Most importantly, his eyes were very strange.

His orange-yellow eyes, which seemed to conceal some ulterior motive, were very strange.

Like the other members, Koss was at a loss and secretly became more vigilant.

Under his careful and cautious gaze, Hermes returned the smile of a handsome young man.

"Actually, it's like this: I've taken care of what Loki asked me to do, so I've come to report to you. -- Look, this is the magical item you wanted."

"!!"

Upon seeing Hermes pull out the silver sphere from his pocket—the "Daedalus Orb"—Kous and the others stared intently at it.

This was an item given to Hermes by a certain "goddess of beauty." He pretended to have accomplished what Loki had directly entrusted to him three weeks earlier when the kingdom's (Lachian) army invaded the border, and showed the item to Koss and the others.

No doubt about it, this is the "key" to the man-made maze, exactly what Koss and his team want most right now.

Just as the group members were completely absorbed in the magical artifact radiating an eerie glow, unable to tear their eyes away from it, Kos managed to squeeze out a voice and say:

"...Thank you, Hermes, the god. Now, please give us the item."

Koss stretched out a hand, his expression still tense.

Why not go to the chief god (Loki) instead of coming to their side? Why come to this front line?

These questions were quickly answered.

"Oh, of course. But before that, I'd like to receive 'compensation'."

"what?"

"Could you please withdraw your troops from here, members of the Loki Familia?"

The handsome man's eyes curved into a bow shape, and he spoke boldly with a smile.

"What...what did you say?!"

"I mean, I'm willing to hand over the 'key,' but I hope you leave. That's all, really. A very cheap price, isn't it?"

"How can this be considered payment?!"